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ENERGY + ENVIROFICIENCY: FOCUS ON STANDBY + BACK-UP
We encourage public private partnerships by providing a platform
for companies and individuals that wish to tackle the infrastructural
challenges through social investment and responsibility. Outreach
Engineering is a registered Non-Profit Company (NPC), non-profit
organisation (NPO) and Section 18A approved Public Benefit Or-
ganisation (PBO).
Our first major initiative is the Heal Baragwanath project at Chris
Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (Bara) in Soweto, which aims
to address the infrastructural shortfalls at the hospital. With over
3 000 beds and employing over 6 000 staff members, Bara plays an
important role in healthcare for a growing community in Johannes-
burg’s South-West. More specifically, the project targets the JD Allen
operating theatre Complex (JDAC), which is the main operating thea-
tre complex in the hospital. JDAC houses 16 out of the 32 operating
theatres in the hospital.
Over the years, there has been a decline in infrastructure mainte-
nance, development and sustainability. As a result, the hospital has an
unreliable council electricity supply. This, in addition to an inadequate
back-up power system, means that the hospital’s critical services
are sometimes left without power. This exacerbates the
surgery backlog at the hospital.
We are working with key Government and
hospital stakeholders to address the power
challenges. The planning phase of the Heal
Baragwanath project was completed without
interrupting the day-to-day activities of the
hospital. Energy Cybernetics donated and
performed an energy audit of JDAC. Schmid-
hauser Electrical verified and created electrical
reticulation diagrams.
Outreach Engineering has now collected and
analysedmany proposals from industry leaders to ad-
dress Bara’s challenges and work is in progress to improve
the hospital’s power infrastructure. The project is well underway,
and we are making good progress towards our goals.
The Problem
Official records show that Bara experiences long-lasting power fail-
ures an average of once or twice a month, while clinical staff report
that shorter power failures take place once or twice a week. These
power failures put patients at risk and also result in elective surgeries’
being cancelled or postponed.
This worsens the growing surgery backlog at Bara, which report-
edly is up to seven years for certain surgeries. The hospital performs
approximately 70 000 procedures a year in its 32 operating theatres
even with its problematic infrastructure, so the cascading effects of
any theatre downtime is severe.
In addition to Council and Eskom-related power outages, the hos-
pital is struggling with a lack of information about its infrastructure;
electrical safety issues; inadequate back-up power systems; insuffi-
cient Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC); lighting; and
a lack of general maintenance. These problems significantly impact
hospital operations, compromising patient care and causing delays
in healthcare service delivery. Some consequences are:
• Patients’ lives are put at risk mid-surgery when power outages
and generator failures occur
• Patients have to recover in an environment that is less than ideal
• Medical staff work in an uncomfortable and stressful environment
• Unsafe electrical infrastructure places maintenance staff at risk
of injury or death
• Surgery backlogs worsen when elective surgical procedures are
cancelled and rescheduled due to power outages
• Many surgery hours are lost due to environmental factors and
inadequate temperature control in operating theatres
• Energy is wasted as a result of outdated and inefficient technolo-
gies
These issues need to be addressed swiftly before they worsen.
We are working with the Gauteng Province Department of
Infrastructure Development and the hospital’s manage-
ment to address the infrastructural shortfalls at JDAC
in a three phase project.
Phase 1: Back-up Power System
Electrical reticulation diagrams
We began our engagement at Bara by addressing
the lack of accurate and up-to-date documentation
for the hospital’s electrical reticulation. Over the
years, the numerous upgrades and expansions con-
ducted at the hospital have been poorly documented. As a
result, maintenance staff pass knowledge down to new workers,
usually having obtained their incomplete and imperfect knowledge
from someone else.
Therefore, we decided to address a lack of electrical reticulation
diagrams as a priority project. Providing the hospital management
with the electrical reticulation diagram serves as a foundation for
improvement. It gives staff the necessary knowledge to perform
maintenance and repairs correctly and efficiently.
Electrical safety
The earthing systemhas been poorly maintained and electrical equip-
ment (including exposed cables, plug points and distribution boards)
was in poor condition. Addressing the electrical safety issues includes:
• Replacing and securing missing earth conductors.
• Restoring the facility to a safer, more aesthetically pleasing state
with all wiring, exposed cables, plug points, distribution boards
etc. made compliant with safety regulations.
Abbreviations/Acronyms
BMS – Building Management System
HVAC – Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning
JDAC – JD Allen operating theatre Complex
NPC
– Non-Profit Company
NPO
– Non-Profit Organisation
PBO
– Public Benefit Organisation
UPS
– Uninterruptible Power Supply
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January ‘16
Electricity+Control